| Unit name | Sports and Societies in South America |
|---|---|
| Unit code | HISP30108 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | H/6 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Professor. Brown |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | Department of Hispanic, Portuguese and Latin American Studies |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
Why is this unit important?
Sports are important to many people around the world. Sports provide a way for us to identify with the communities we form part of, a way for us to express ourselves and to use our bodies to interact creatively, enjoyably and competitively with others. How did this come to be? Why are there so few opportunities to study sports in universities when they are so significant to so many people? This unit explores how our present ways of thinking about sports came into being.
It explores the profound changes in South American culture and society in the period that occurred as the continent entered the global economy, focusing in particular on the relationship between popular culture, sports, and nation-building. The unit explores indigenous and colonial games, as well as the formation of the first modern sporting clubs in the continent, the organization of and participation in international sports competitions such as the FIFA World Cup and the Olympics. Students will explore several sources in detail and will analyse them within their political and historical contexts.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
The unit will provide you with the conceptual and contextual knowledge to analyse the historical developments of sports in South America, and to help you understand where the contemporary politics, cultures and economics of sports emerged from. Building on historical and social foundations provided in years 1 and 2 it will introduce you to the sources, methods, and concepts that have underpinned new approaches to sports history. It will also prepare you for undertaking independent advanced-level research in the sports history of South America.
An overview of content
You will explore the different games and sports that have been played in South America since the end of the nineteenth-century, from indigenous games like tejo to colonial sports like bullfighting and cockfighting. We will examine the formation of major international sporting events like the Olympic Games (from 1896), the South American football championships (from 1916) and the FIFA men’s football World Cup (from 1930). You will explore the creation of sporting spectacles, looking at who was in the crowd at horse-racing, athletics and cycling events. What have been the experiences of professional athletes? How have they been presented in the media, and rewarded (or not!) in society?
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit ?
The creative component of the assessment will enable you to make an imaginative leap through history into a different way of thinking about bodies and how they interact on sports fields. By studying primary sources produced by contemporaries (news reports, photographs, films, memoirs) you will develop your critical thinking and engagement, and may well just reconsider your own attitude to physical activities like running, cycling and ski-ing. During each seminar we will recreate one or more of the activities we are discussing, which will leave your enthused and energised about the day ahead, as well as full of ideas and questions to take into the weekend.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit students will be able to:
The unit is built around independent learning, proactive research and collective problem-solving. We will have a two-hour seminar together each week. The preparation for each week will differ according to the subject material – it might include reading/listening to/watching/ primary sources like game footage, newspaper reports, radio commentary, as well as reading scholarship on South American sports. The seminars may feature short presentations, discussions and critical reflections. Each week will include a physical activity relating to the subject matter, for example game design or rule testing. This combination of independent learning with collective enquiry, accompanying intellectual enquiry with creative and physical activity, is designed to enable you to explore new areas and lead to new ways of thinking.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative)
Creative critical source analysis, 2,500 words (50%) [ILOs 1, 2, 4 and 5]
Research project, 2,500 words (50%) [ILOs 1-3]
When assessment does not go to plan
When required by the Board of Examiners, you will normally complete reassessments in the same formats as those outlined above. However, the Board reserves the right to modify the form or number of reassessments required. Details of reassessments are normally confirmed by the School shortly after the notification of your results at the end of the academic year.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. HISP30108).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The assessment methods listed in this unit specification are designed to enable students to demonstrate the named learning outcomes (LOs). Where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, schools will make reasonable adjustments to support a student to demonstrate the LO by an alternative method or with additional resources.
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
